surfbum
Inactive User
hear hear, some sense at last.
The newspapers reports you refer to are inaccurate. Headlines about dossiers being sent to the police do not represent in any way the intentions of anyone in the Catholic Church. I have written to the newspapers concerned though to date they have not published my letters.
Since the CIS cup final a number of messages have been received by Church officials from disaffected fans, but, my only comment on this has been “The right port of call for complaints of this nature would be the police”. Certainly the Catholic Church is in no position to amass evidence or compile dossiers nor does it wish to do so.
There is no doubt that feelings run high at these fixtures. In fairness, however, this is no different to feelings football engenders around the world. It is a passionate and sometimes violent game. One only has to look at recent fixtures in the Roma vs Lazio derby where fans have been stabbed, Euro qualifier games abandoned completely because of violence or a recent Birmingham vs Aston Villa game which resulted in police clad in riot gear repelling a full-scale pitch invasion to realise just how sedate Scotland’s football matches are in comparison.
Frankly, the Scottish media have done Glasgow no favours with incendiary tales of apocalyptic and life-threatening conduct. Much attention has been given to the topic of sectarianism though again an informed perspective has been lacking. If neither the fans who sing ‘sectarian’ songs or the officials charged with policing them, have an accurate understanding or definition of the term, it seems unlikely they will be able to respond, far less eradicate such behaviour. Rather than convening further high profile summits or compiling eye-catching headlines, what is needed most of all now is a informed definition of the term ‘sectarianism’ and a renewed pledge from everyone involved in football not to tolerate it.
Yours sincerely
Peter Kearney
Director
Catholic Media Office
5 St Vincent Place
GLASGOW
G1
The newspapers reports you refer to are inaccurate. Headlines about dossiers being sent to the police do not represent in any way the intentions of anyone in the Catholic Church. I have written to the newspapers concerned though to date they have not published my letters.
Since the CIS cup final a number of messages have been received by Church officials from disaffected fans, but, my only comment on this has been “The right port of call for complaints of this nature would be the police”. Certainly the Catholic Church is in no position to amass evidence or compile dossiers nor does it wish to do so.
There is no doubt that feelings run high at these fixtures. In fairness, however, this is no different to feelings football engenders around the world. It is a passionate and sometimes violent game. One only has to look at recent fixtures in the Roma vs Lazio derby where fans have been stabbed, Euro qualifier games abandoned completely because of violence or a recent Birmingham vs Aston Villa game which resulted in police clad in riot gear repelling a full-scale pitch invasion to realise just how sedate Scotland’s football matches are in comparison.
Frankly, the Scottish media have done Glasgow no favours with incendiary tales of apocalyptic and life-threatening conduct. Much attention has been given to the topic of sectarianism though again an informed perspective has been lacking. If neither the fans who sing ‘sectarian’ songs or the officials charged with policing them, have an accurate understanding or definition of the term, it seems unlikely they will be able to respond, far less eradicate such behaviour. Rather than convening further high profile summits or compiling eye-catching headlines, what is needed most of all now is a informed definition of the term ‘sectarianism’ and a renewed pledge from everyone involved in football not to tolerate it.
Yours sincerely
Peter Kearney
Director
Catholic Media Office
5 St Vincent Place
GLASGOW
G1
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